Different than Others
by Hijojo
Summary: One shot, fluff-y, Youji/Natsuo. Harassing Kio makes the Zero boys reflect on themselves.


**Different Than Others**

"Ah, Kio, when's Soubi gonna get back? I'm hungry," whined a boy, with long green hair and holding a worn stuffed animal in his hand. Next to him another boy, with long red hair and an eyepatch over one eye nodded in agreement.

"You know, we haven't eaten in a while," said the second boy. "It's almost child abuse."

"Ah, shut up, you brats. He'll be back when he gets back! Besides you two just ate this morning. Whiners," responded a college age blond. He shook his head at them, before turning away, going back to sketching a picture. The two others looked at him for a moment, then turned with a smirk towards each other.

"Natsuo?"

"Yeah?"

"You thinking what I am?"

"Heh, of course I am, Youji."

With a smirk still on his face, Youji took a step forward and leaned in over Kio's shoulder, breathing heavily. Quickly annoyed, Kio turned around and glared unimpressively at the younger boy.

"Oy, Kio, what are you drawing? It looks like it's pornography," claimed Youji, still smirking.

"Wh-what are you talking about?! It's a sketch of a butterfly for an art class!" exclaimed a now-blushing Kio, shoving the sketchbook into his face.

"It does certainly look erotic, don't you think Youji?" said Natsuo, now leaning in to see the sketch. Youji nodded in agreement. "Definitely."

"What the hell are you talking about? Have you even looked at it? Stupid brats..." exclaimed an incredibly annoyed Kio, as Natsuo and Youji turn back to each other.

"Isn't this sad?" asked Natsuo.

"You mean an art major who can't even tell that his picture is definitely erotic? Yep, totally sad," answered Youji, who along with Natsuo, was completely ignoring Kio.

"Maybe he's sexually frustrated?" said Natsuo, smirking.

"Yes, that must be it! Maybe with Soubi? Kio's always hanging out here," replied Youji, still ignoring the enraged Kio.

"What? You damn brats! I'm leaving now..." exclaimed Kio. He got up, grabbed what little he brought with him, then stormed out of the apartment. As soon as Natsuo and Youji heard the door slam, they turned to each other and giggle nastily. Natsuo picked up a hand and placed it gently on Youji's cheek.

"Well, that certainly worked out well, huh?" asked Natsuo, who was smiling at their aforementioned success.

"Yep! Kio's so stupid, he's fun to play with. Just a toy for us."

"And now we're all along," said Natsuo, as he nodded affirmatively.

"Unless Nagisa-sensei decides to come for us... She'd punish us, though," said Youji, as he sat down on a bed.

"It's fine. You know she'll just be angry with me, after all," replied Natsuo. They both knew what he meant. Nagisa-sensei had always preferred Youji over Natsuo, for some reason they didn't particularly know or care about. Her normally short fuse, although in full use on Natsuo, was not often used on Youji.

"Ah, damn Nagisa-sensei! I wish she wouldn't do that," Youji pouted. He hated it when Nagisa-sensei got mad at Natsuo and not him. He wouldn't mind it if she yelled at them both more, but it was unfair of her to treat them differently. They were a pair, dammit, and they were inseparable. How dare she treat them like that, Youji thought as Nagisa-sensei would scream at Natsuo. She got mad at him less often that Natsuo, but one of his well-timed (or poorly timed, from other people's perspectives) comments would ensure she would yell at him as well. It made him feel better when that happened.

"Oh, I don't mind. It can actually be quite amusing sometimes," claimed Natsuo, as he went and sat down next to Youji, putting his arm on his sacrifice's shoulder. Not that this statement was entirely true. Natsuo knew it, and Youji knew it as well. They knew each other too well to lie to each other like that. But it helped, superficially at least. Youji was the more emotionally extreme one of the two, while Natsuo was a bit milder, and thus more often than not, the one who would comfort Youji. Wasn't it the sacrifices, though, who were supposed to be more of a leader than their fighter? Like Soubi, lost without anyone to tell him what to do.

But Zero wasn't an ordinary team with an ordinary partnership. Manufactured by Nagisa-sensei specifically for fighting, without the ability to feel pain among other things, and apparently interchangeable with other Zero fighters or sacrifices (which Nagisa-sensei occasionally threatened to do) made them well aware of that. And they liked it that way. Normal pairs are boring to the two of them. Too pathetic and not strong enough. Natsuo and Youji were sure that even if they could feel pain, they wouldn't be that bad. They'd always be the same.

Still, it was interesting to wonder what it would be like if they were like everyone else. To wonder what pain felt like. That's why the older Zero pair, those two girls were so interesting to Natsuo and Youji. Because they weren't a "normal" pair, but the weren't Zero either. It was the awkward in between staged that caused them to be defeated, unable to fight like a normal pair but unable to fight like a true Zero pair at the same time.

"Soubi's so lazy," commented Natsuo, breaking the silence between the two of them. "He should just get back here and feed us already."

"Yeah, yeah. He's so annoying," nodded Youji. "He should treat his guests much better. He just doesn't care for us."

Natsuo just shrugged. Despite what they said, they did like Soubi. They were quick to point his flawed traits, as they were with everyone of course, but he had his uses. He took them in, after all, after he had beaten them but got a nail through his hand in the process. That was just the way they went, jaded and sarcastic to the core. Able to pick out anyone else's faults with great ability, but unable to see their own. It was wrong of them, they weren't completely unaware people – they just chose to ignore it. It was fun. They were different, after all. They weren't normal people. They shouldn't have normal personalities. That was comforting to them.


End file.
